Ham Radio enthusiasts

[jrwhited]

Are there any other Ham radio operators/ RV enthusiasts out there? I imagine there is. If so please reply with your call sign and location. If there is enough of us, maybe wecould get our own forum. Also share some things about your mobile setup. Thanks, Jim W, K3JRW

[RoyB]

I have been looking for a CHEAP second control head for my IC706. I currently have spots in both my truck and OFF-ROAD POPUP for the ICOM706 but I am wearing the radio mount out moving the one ICOM706 I have between the two places haha... Same thing with my TARHEEL screwdriver antenna. I can move it between the truck or trailer as well...

I think I could solve the whole thing by installing a long CAT5 control head cable with disconnect plugs between the two units and maybe leave the ICOM main unit in the truck. I am about ready to install my dual battery banks with one 300AH on the trailer and a second 300AH setup in the bed of the truck. When camping they can both be keep charged up interconnected together with a 2-cond cable hookup from the trailer.

My TARHEEL antenna works better on the truck with all the metal ground plane around it. My backup HF antenna is a short 3-inch triangle tower I can swing up on the back of my trailer about 12-feet which will get me up about 25 off the ground with a PVC pipe in the middle and I hang a windom off center fed 80-10 wire antenna off that. Throw the ends up into trees. My antenna is more of Vee instead of Inverter Vee. It does work pretty good however - Better than the TARHEEL on 80 and 40... I get alot of bad looks from the RV crowd however...

Just need to find a CHEAP junker ICOM706 for sale for parts only and steal its control head haha...

Roy Ken K9PHT

[Kaz]

Skip, K4EAK, here. Living in Atlanta but making a slow-motion move to the retirement home in LaGrange, Georgia. I'm actually typing this from the motorhome, camped out at Holiday campground on West Point lake, just a few miles from our home. I only have a 2-meter HT in the MH right now, but will be migrating my IC-706MkIIG from the truck to the MH as soon as I can persuade the DW that it is a "decorative item."

There are lots of online forums (fora?) for hams. Here are a few:

Open Roads Radio: http://openroadsradio.net/forums/index.php

FMCA Amateur Radio Chapter: http://fmcaarc.com/

RV Service Net: http://rvsvcnet.wbcci.net/welcome/

None of them seem to be very active, though.
73 Skip K4EAK

[PGR_Skye]

KB9ZWE from Indiana. Husband is KB9ZWG. Think we've been Hams for close to 20 years. We have a Yaesu mobile at home as a base unit and I still participate in weather nets. Husband has a Yaesu handheld and I have a (blush, blush) a cheap AT-201 which has served me well although I wish I had a newer and better handheld. We haven't set up in our motorhome yet. I missed out on passing code by a hairsbreath several years ago and do plan on passing code in the future just because I like it and I want to be able to use it.

[Tango__AE7UI]

I am AE7UI and the wife is KF7JWY.
UHF, VHF and HF

[KA4EBU]

A forum could be helpful and create more members. My wife is a full tech - KA4YBT.
We run through spells of using it, then it slows down. I thought at one time there was a node on echolink.

[MX-RV]

Ve3hbj advanced, dw va3aed Dufferin county, Ontario. I run alinco 635s in the TV and dw's car. Several ht's for portable use and link them to the xband in TV for split shopping while on the road. And am exparamenting with options in the tt for the 706mkiig. Have never been very active on hf as my poor 706 will attest time being the biggest factor. It needs a tune but this year I plan on running cg. Looking for antenna ideas. I've got 1/4 of a HB budi pole like antenna built. Having trouble sourcing magnet wire at the moment. Also looking into mast options for my g7fek need 25 ft. And will likely take the g5 with us, doubt I'll find a site big enough to string it. I would love to see a sub forum here. FYI yahoo groups has a "parks on the air" group. (Pota). Sofar since I joined in sept it's just been posts of I'll be working from here this weekend kinda posts.

[mowermech]

Ken451 wrote:
For those of you with rigs in the camper, I assume most of you run off of an a/c power supply? Does anyone hook the rig directly to the camper batteries?

Yes. That is the best way to go, IMO. I bought an extra power cable for the Yaesu FT-897D, and have permanently installed it from the batteries under the steps to the side table behind the passenger seat in the front of the motorhome. Once we are parked, I pull up the table, sit the radio on it, plug it in to the power cord, put the coax pass thru in the window, put up the antennas, connect the coax, and I'm ready to operate.
I have a Yaesu FT-2900R on the dash that gets its power from the Power Control Center in the front of the coach, and is connected to an antenna on the left front corner of the coach.
This spring I will be installing a Maxon CB with weather channels on the wall by the driver seat. It will get power from the PCC also, and the antenna will be on the right front corner.
For stationary use, I have an Arrow dual band (2M/70Cm) J-pole, a home built 40M dipole, and a military RC-292 that is tunable from 28 Mhz to 76 Mhz. I have 6 sections of aluminum military antenna mast (I should get some more), and a Harbor Freight flagpole to put the antennas on.
Last year at the Glacier/Waterton Hamfest, I got quite a few positive comments. (if you are interested in that hamfest (it is in July, and registration is open now) google gw hamfest for information.)
I built an adapter that fits the receiver hitch to hold the flagpole.

[RoyB]

I have been a "HAM" radio guy since the early 50s... Always have some sort of setup everywhere I go... Camping off the power grid is no different.

My setup is pretty well described here by viewing my floor plan drawing of the OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer. I am also as much setup with the same equipment in my Truck mounted under the rear seat with remote heads on the truck console. All of my HAM RADIO equipment is setup for 12VDC operations... Tent bed ends not shown here...


I use my current three 85AH battery bank which will soon be upgraded to two 150AH batteries in two separate battery banks one on the trailer tongue and the second one in the bed of my truck. The plan is to run everything form the battery banks during the day/night and re-charge the batteries when needed using the 2KW Honda Generator which will re-charge the batteries to a 90% charge state in a short three hour generator run time.

I like to use good marine quality BLUE SEA MARINE products for all my electrical needs...

This is my planned electrical wiring for the truck mounted extra 300AH of batteries.


Most of my camping off the power operations is using the all band screwdriver TARHEEL antenna along with the 2m/440 roof top mounts. I do have a fold-up small three inch tri-tower that is mounted to the trailer and will get me up to around 15-feet where I mount my all band off-center dipole antenna. This works out great for me.

I am engaged with the HAM RADIO RACES/SKYWARN/NAVY MARS emergency radio operations and I would like to extend my setup on the VA/WVA state line up on the George Washington Natl Forest (Flagpole Knob area) and act as relay for VA operations during exercises... I have full computer setup as well in my OFF-ROAD popup. Another must these days for HAM RADIO. Great camping time too as well...

My emergency radio service is really being hampered now with all the local and state police/rescue squad radio operations going to their digital radio setups. This is making all of scanner operations pretty much obsolete now. Things are always changing...

My mentor on here is Paul - K9ERG

Roy Ken
K9PHT

[woodworker414]

Hi Jim, W0WJU,(vanity call), Bill, Crystal City, MO. I have been a ham for a little over 3 years now, general class, someday extra class. And I want to learn CW.
Bight now the Class C is mostly a very expensive yard ornament, due to the health issue of the DW, she is wheelchair bound now. So she can't drive anymore, and I can't either, I have Macular Degeneration. So that takes me out of the drivers seat. But my wildest hopes have come true, my youngest sister has taken to driving the C and really likes it. So she is the OATS Rv Driver for us. She can retire in a little less that 4 years. Hoping then that we will be back on the road.
Usually use a HT, Yaesu FT270, on the road 146.520. And at times a friend will loan me a 25w amp for it when set up at a site. I use just the orginalantenna when drining. We take day trips now, till we get the kinks worked out on how the 3 of us will live in the C. When at a site, I will put a 5 element beam on a 16' adjustable paint pole, extend it all the way and then set it on the rear bumper and velcro it to the ladder, and then I play radio. When we are going to travel I will take my Icom 706MKII and set up a station in the C. I have a Model 300 Tarheel antenna that will be on a hitch mouned base on the rear, after setting up camp. I have been told that the chassis will be a good ground plane for this antenna. I have a Icom 720A that a friend has, he is working on it, I may live long enough to get it back. Oh yea I am a OLD FART, Born in 1944. When we travel I will get a dual band 2m/70cm radio for on the road monitoring. Will have the CB and the FMS radios also. Just love any kind of radio.
When I remember I turn on ECHOLINK, so look for me there. If I close by the computer I will answer.
73
W0WJU
Bill

[ol_Bombero-JC]

jrwhited wrote:
Are there any other Ham radio operators/ RV enthusiasts out there? I imagine there is. If so please reply with your call sign and location. If there is enough of us, maybe wecould get our own forum. Also share some things about your mobile setup. Thanks, Jim W, K3JRW

FYI:

Try a search - both current, and the archives (over 12 months old).

Hundreds of posts - enter "Ham Radio" in the search box.

You'll have to select the posts that pertain to the info you want.
(IMO) you're not likely to have one (a forum) here.

Misleading title but lots of Hams posting to this (20 page) thread

BTW - the Escapees forums has an "amateur radio" forum - also probably a "BOF" (Birds of a Feather) group - which is a separate "club" of folks with like interests.

.

[Ken451]

For those of you with rigs in the camper, I assume most of you run off of an a/c power supply? Does anyone hook the rig directly to the camper batteries?

[Ken451]

WA8JXM, 50 years this summer. But I've never used a rig in the camper and it's been many years since I had a mobile rig in the vehicle. I mostly operate 40/80 CW these days.

Ken

[Rolin]

KE7AUD, General license. Do not currently have Ham gear set up in the MH. Looking for a way to create a very compact, unobtrusive (acceptable to DW) way to use the radio in our MH.

Great to see some of the different set ups being used. We move around a lot so don't want to put up and take down antenna's. However, CrankIR Vertical antenna looks very interesting. Compact and easy to use.

[KA4EBU]

KA4EBU, general since the 70's. use 706 mainly for listening HF and traffic on 2m/440. I monitor 146.52 on the road and have it set as priority. Not many contacts in the last bunch of years.

[glockgeek]

Call here is KW4TX

I am a advanced class first liscensed in 1992..

I have only a handheld VX-2R in my rig now but plan on putting a dual band Alinco in...

Also have 11 meter for traffic issues..

Don't plan on doing HF